Member postings for Chris Evans 6

Welcome along Chris, I do not built models (may be in the future when all the bike projects are done !) but I love the machining threads. Some very clever people on here.

Graham Engineering, a real blast from the past. I was a regular there, usually for things like big drills and cutters from the second hand pile when the job did not justify buying new for a one off.

Shaun, thanks for the kind offer. You are a bit of a trek from the Midlands though. I have wheeling on my list of things to try one day, I would love to make a tool box for my pre war bike. Chris.

I have used the white sticks but think they are more for cleaning/preventing clogging than dressing. I will be eager to learn more as I run a diamond wheel on one end of my bench grinder.

I used to do a simple dress on a cup wheel to remove the wear, (single lip Deckel type cutter grinder) With the wheel off the machine it was rubbed on a cast iron lapping plate with a little paraffin. Crude but did the job.

Shaun, lovely work. In all my time in engineering I never got near a wheeling machine but would love to try one.

Nearest I got was watching through the door of a local tin smiths shop.

I have castings for a swivelling/tilting table. Patterns made by my Sisters Partner and I got two sets cast, I will start machining in the next week or so. I will cheat and go into where I used to work and surface grind the faces.

KWIL, I must have been using the PTFE or other filled type to notice a difference. Most of my plastics come as offcuts from autojumbles so really could be miss labeled.

Sit and think about what kind of work you want to do on a mill. I love my Bridgeport because it suits my old motorcycle hobby, to big and pricey for a lot of folk unless you come across an early one with 36" table. I am not to far from Brum, in between Lichfield and Burton on Trent.

Delrin is a bugger to drill as it contracts and grabs the drill. Acetal is not bad, glass filled PTFE is good to turn, for all you need razor sharp tooling. Final decision is yours on what you are making.

Having spent my 50 years as a mould toolmaker from copy milling patterns to embracing CAD from the late 70s. I am possibly guilty, but did we not pay handsomely for the licence to use the software ? In the last 30 years companies I worked for ran many differing systems all correctly licenced.

Don't know about Warco stuff but I get bulbs for my lathe from local commercial vehicle place.

That looks a nice bit of kit, you can never have enough light. I recently fitted a T4 (think under kitchen cupboard) strip light in the lip on the lathe splash back, one of your style will enhance the machine light which is always in the wrong place.

Looking at all of those options I consider myself very lucky. A friend has a "Pratt & Whitney" cutter grinder as supplied with a "Keller" copy milling machine pre war or early 50s. It will do flute/ends/ball ends and internal radius work. Best of all I can turn up with a box of cutters and do them myself. Having said that making something is a nice project to add to the list.

Shimming Gib strips is common on older/worn machines and it works. Have you established why it is tight ? The shim will not cause tightness, maybe the slides need some re-scraping or the lead screw is worn in the middle and tight on the ends. Most machines end up like that.

I run the 45 degree dish style on one end of my grinder with good results on the same things as you wish to do.

Being local I would have come to your Gala day but am going to Oulton Park for the Superbike meeting.

I have been following your problems Ron. Well done for perseverance.

It is a quick and easy job to pull the cross slide off and make a correct tee bolt. Use EN24T if you have any or a Tensile bolt. The original most likely gave up from wear and tear, my lathe only has two bolts to hold the top slide on and I have added two tapped holes in the cross slide and made "L" shaped clamps to give a bit of extra security.

Yes Windy, so much better than the TZ Yamaha engine outfits of the era.